Arlovski vs. Abdurakhimov Added to UFC Moscow

Just two weeks after losing a close bout to Tai Tuivasa at UFC 225, Andrei Arlovski has announced his next bout.

The former UFC heavyweight champion took to Instagram to announce that he will be competing on the Sept. 15 UFC Moscow card against Shamil Abdurakhimov. The fight will be part of the UFC’s first-ever event held in Russia.

Arlovski’s loss to Tuivasa snapped a pair of back-to-back unanimous decision victories. That pair of victories was much needed for the former champion, who previously had a five-fight losing streak, getting stopped four of the five times. Despite all this, Arlovski is currently ranked No. 11 in the UFC’s heavyweight rankings.

This will also be Arlovski’s 27th appearance in the UFC heavyweight division, tying him with Frank Mir for the record. He and Mir also hold the record for UFC heavyweight victories at 16, which Arlovski can gain sole possession of with a win at UFC Moscow.

Abdurakhimov, who will be competing in his home country, is 18-4 in his MMA career and 3-2 in the UFC. He last competed back in November at the UFC’s first-ever event in China, defeating Chase Sherman by knockout 84 seconds into the fight.